THE Way in the Manger

"I am the way and the truth and the life."
John 14:6 (NIV)

It was almost 4 o'clock one Christmas afternoon several years ago before I finally sat down, put my feet up, and grabbed parts of the newspaper to check out the sale ads. But Christmas came- the extraordinary in the ordinary- when I turned to page 13A. There among the local news was a full-page ad paid for by a leading retailer. Half the page was a black and white picture of a manger with hay, but the shadow of a cross lay where one would normally expect to find Baby Jesus. Underneath the picture were these words:

      "THE WAY in the manger!"

I caught my breath as I understood the reality of the play on words from the children's Christmas carol "Away in a Manger." Someone managed to summarize the essential meaning of Christmas- Jesus was born in a manger to die on a cross so that we could truly live- with a simple black and white photograph and 5 words - "THE WAY in the manger."  

Jesus himself firmly declared, "I am the way and the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by Me." (John 14:6) In our pluralistic age, there is still only One Way to the true God.

May each of us this Christmas season find our way, not just to the manger to celebrate Jesus’ birth, but also to the cross and empty tomb to celebrate His death and resurrection. Christ’s resurrection secures and guarantees our own resurrection. Rejoice in the Resurrection!

Merry Christmas!